Romanticism & Reality

Life in rural Ireland is popularly portrayed as simple and romantic. The reality was different. Life was a struggle and survival depended on a detailed knowledge of the landscape and environment; on craft, skill and ingenuity. This way of life changed little over many hundreds of years and its continuity is evident in the similarities between recently-made objects and their counterparts made long ago. This exhibition also highlights the importance of Folklife, which deals with objects, the skills needed to produce them and their place in the lives of the people; and Folklore, which deals with stories, myths and traditional beliefs outside formal religion.